Futurist Meetings

Posted on Wed Feb 24th, 2021 @ 9:52am by Captain Bethsabée Leroux & Ensign Alexandra 'Lexi' O'Connery & Lieutenant Samantha Leyton & Gunnery Sergeant Billy Rhodes

Mission: Mission 4 - Eden
Location: The Caelestis
Timeline: Day 162 10:00
2077 words - 4.2 OF Standard Post Measure

The shuttlepod exploration has revealed hatches all over the ship that would allow the away team to spread out over the ship heading to the different areas that they needed to as well as allowing the shuttlepod to not be overweight for the trip. Odysseus had already dropped the science team off to another hatch before they had come back for the group that was going to head to the top of the ship and find the operations area.

Leyton sat directly behind Elspeth, who was piloting the shuttle. Normally Samantha would prefer to pilot but she knew that Elspeth could use some experience and in all honesty, she was glad to take a break from piloting after being constantly chased by the Vrav. She still thought back to the wild maneuvers she had to pull in order to shake them. Even now, she wondered if she had made the right choices as those same maneuvers caused several injuries to the crew. She still marvelled at the ship as it grew in size as they approached. She had so many questions about it.

Elspeth began the docking procedure and quipped."Ladies and Gentlemen, please remain seated until the shuttlepod comes to a.complete and safe stop. The fasten seatbelt sign will be turned off. once docking is complete."

Beth grinned a little as they locked onto the hatch and the ship cycled through a depressurising cycle with a loud whirl. She had secured her helmet of the EVA suit to be on the safe side as they had not as of yet managed to ascertain whether the air was breathable thanks to the shielding that seemed to be around the ship. “Voila,” Beth announced as the pod's doors whirled open revealing a dimly lit docking area.

As the hatch opened, Leyton turned in her seat and stood, donning her EVA helmet in the process as she followed the captain into the ship. Stepping into the corridor outside of the supposed bridge. The dimly lit corridor, suddenly became fully lit, causing her to pause as she took in its nearly seamless construction. "Um, ok...who turned on the lights?"

Beth span around as the lighting change suddenly made her blink hard ready for anything. It was a tactic where the enemy got people used to night mode or dark mode and quickly changed it over leaving people temporarily confused and defenceless. She had seen before but when nothing happened she lowered her weapon and looked at the group. "Not me." She assured seeing nothing that she could have touched even in EVA suit.

"Nor me," Lexi added quickly.

"And not me," the pilot said stepping up behind them.

"Maybe it's automated?" Leyton suggested hopefully before opening her hand scanner. "I'm reading an atmosphere of seventy-eight percent nitrogen and twenty-one percent oxygen with traces of argon and carbon dioxide. It's, um, breathable." Leyton was shocked at this as the ship would normally have little or no breathable air.

As the lights rose Billy's eyes changed with a flash as he was instantly blinded. He raised his rifle in a defensive posture just in case this was a prelude to an attack but held firm with his finger hovering over the trigger. However, as his eyes adjusted he saw no threat evident and relaxed after scanning around. "How convenient," he remarked with a grumpy tone. "Almost perfect for Humans to breathe," he added lowering his weapon. "I'm telling you if any of these goddamned panels start showing English on them I'm sticking my boot on em!"

"All it could mean is that the Computer is sophisticated enough to listen to us and translate it." Elf said as she joined the rest. She was not coming all this way just to wait in the pod. "And wouldn't that be interesting... almost like a sentient being... like...HAL the AI in that old movie... "

"It was translating to all different types of languages the distress call remember." Lexi prompted before Beth could. It unnerving listening to something so far from home that kept switching between different languages that she knew without warning.

"I have no idea how it does it but it does." Beth agreed as she pointed in the direction that they were meant to be going to move everyone along.

Upon entering the bridge, Leyton was surprised at the size and apparent complexity of it. The forward's section of the bridge sat much lower than the aft section with a set of stairs on the port and starboard sides with a large view screen at the front. A multitude of monitors dotted the rear that seemed to be stations of some sort with four stations and seat taking up the lower front section. In the upper level, a raised chair in the centre seemed to designate the commander's chair. "Um, wow," Samantha commented.

Elf slid past her. "That chair is not fitting in the shuttlepod," she said almost absently as she began looking over the stations. "Helm.. helm... come on how does this baby fly?"

"J’ai amené de quoi déjeuner." Beth said to herself as she looked around the Bridge unable for a moment to take it all in. She looked at the seat that was the Captain's chair and ran her hands over it. It was like plastic but warm to the touch under her fingertips. "This is like stuff from the movies." She wondered aloud as Lexi went to a console and looked it over.

"This seems to be Engineering console by the look of all of these diagrams." The Communication operator said aloud blinking as the console flickered between languages just like the distress signal had.

"Come on, let's have a look at the forward consoles, Ensign," Samantha said to Elspeth as she made her way to the lower forward consoles.

Elspeth moved to a console and stood studying it. "L.t... this looks promising," she said waving a hand in the air. "Looks like pitch and yaw like the old planes... but... she pointed to a circle image. "like a radar?"

"It's possible but I hope for the crew's sake--wherever they are that they were using something more advanced than radar," she grinned as she looked at the console. "See if you can pull up any flight path, destinations, stopovers, etc. in their flight log. I'm going to check out the rest of the bridge." Moving to one of the other consoles at the forward section of the bridge, one looked awfully familiar to a weapons console, the other appeared something like a cross between engineering and navigation--she had never seen such a console before while the final console, Samantha couldn't make heads or tails of it.

Taking a closer look at one of the consoles that Leyton had moved towards. "This looks like a weapons station," he said. "Looks like a targeting system, compliment of weaponry, sensor pallet for assist in targeting and surrounded space, defensive systems etc," Rhodes mentioned as he sat down and the panel lit up. "It is surprisingly easy to use considering it is an alien ship," he added as he viewed some of the readings. "As far as I can tell there have been no weapons fired from this vessel for some time. It sits with a full complement of what looks like torpedoes with no damage registered to the ship."

Seeing the console light up as Rhodes sat down, Samantha did the same as she lit up. 'Ok, not weapons, navigation, nor engineering,' Samantha thought. The readings appeared to be scientific in nature as she recognized some readings from the surrounding area that she knew were present from the Atlantis picking up as well--background radiation and the such. So a science console of some kind but what was EDEN that she saw references to?

As the console came to life a speck of light appeared between the two consoles. It formed into a figure until a humanoid woman stood there. She had long blonde, straight hair neatly coiffed with a thin black headband keeping it out of her face, cat eyeliner and a nude lip, it almost looked human in style, a homage to Earth’s hippie era apart from the outfit she wore was plastic and black. Glinting brown eyes, set wickedly within their sockets as she looked around at the group.

“Hello. I am E.D.E.N. I am The Caelestis’ Emergency Disaster Engagement Network. Who are you?” The figure demanded in Earth standard though the figure flickered a few times looking between them as they were scanned.

"Wow" The Helm Ensign breathed as she moved to get a better look. "What a cool program."

Samantha jumped from the seat at the materialization of the hologram. "Um, EDEN, you said? Are you a computer interface? Or are you an AI?" she asked. Samantha knew that AI programs had been experimented with but deemed too complex to install aboard starships.

"What the fuck?!" Rhodes exclaimed as he grabbed his weapon before calming himself. "Woman, you need to give a man some warning before you just appear in his face like that!"

Appearing unfazed by the weapon pointing at her. "I am a collective network," she answered vaguely. "You have not answered my question. Who are you?" EDEN replied, a subtle sternness now crept into its voice

"Were the crew from the NX Atlantis. A vessel belonging to Starfleet," Samantha answered. "We're from a planet called Earth, that is located very far away from here in the Sol System."

"I am unaware of this Planet Earth and the Sol System. I will however make a note of it in my database. Why are you aboard this ship?" E.D.E.N asked, tilting its head slightly to the right.

“It is a long way away,” Beth said coming closer relieved that no one had shot on appearance. It was odd that the being had no idea about Earth or the sol system when it was sending signals out in multiple languages.

E.D.E.N glanced to Beth and then Lexi. “You speak many languages. I am having a hard time picking which one to speak to you in.”

“Pick standard,” Beth instructed. “You said you are an Emergency Disaster Engagement Network? What disaster happened?” The hologram flickered.

“I am unable to determine without crew,” E.D.E.N admitted.

Billy sighed, "Well, can you tell us where your crew are?" he asked. "You dropped in front of us like a big old present and I'd like to know why..."

“No.” The hologram flickered and then disappeared leaving the bridge in silence.

“Well that was interesting,” Beth commented on with a gulp. “I think it’s time we got back home.” She mused softly trying to not reveal just how unsettled she was feeling by it all.

"Wouldn't be the first time I scared a woman off with asking difficult questions," Billy remarked. "I didn't know a computer could be jumpy but I would say a quick retreat would be a good idea."

Elspeth stood staring at where the AI was. "Aww," she muttered. But she heard the CO and her boss head for the door. "Sirs? Can I stay here? I want to see if I can get into computers." She really wanted to explore this bridge. That AI intrigued her and she wanted to know more about how this craft moved and such.

"No one is staying alone here Ensign," Beth commented leaving no room for argument. She really did not like the feel of the place now that the AI or whatever that she was, turned herself off at the question of the crew.

Samantha was both curious and unnerved at EDEN's presence. If it was a true AI then it likely had the entire ship as it's eyes and ears. In all honesty, the thought of an AI scared Samantha as an AI could hide it's true feelings much better than any humanoid could--save maybe for a Vulcan. Sighing, Samantha nodded and moved to the exit. "Good idea, ma'am. Though I would love to explore this ship some more if we get a chance."

"Me too." Beth truly would like to explore too much it needed to be done in a way that she not lose any more crew or put anyone in danger. "Let's move," She instructed again indicating the door and the corridor where they had left the Pod.